BANGKOK, THAILAND: Thailand has partially banned services by ride-sharing application Uber, authorities said on Wednesday, as the US-based car hire business continues to grapple with regulators across the world...

BANGKOK, THAILAND: The United Nations has urged Thailand to drop defamation charges against two Australian and Thai journalists for a report alleging military involvement in people smuggling, warning of a "chilling effect" on press freedom.

SINGAPORE: The hotly anticipated Spikes Asia Awards Ceremony has taken place at the Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Over 1,000 delegates attended to be the first to hear this year's winners and celebrate the best of creativity in communications from across Asia Pacific.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), today invited the world's press to attend the 66th World Newspaper Congress and 21st World Editors Forum, to be held in Torino, Italy, from 9 to 11 June 2014.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: At least 15 reporters and other media professionals have been killed in Syria in the past 12 months, as the safety of journalists continues to be of major concern in conflict zones and elsewhere, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers reported on Wednesday in its Global Press Freedom Report.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Than Htut Aung, Chairman and CEO of Eleven Media Group in Myanmar, known for its audacious defiance of official censorship and dedication to democratic freedoms, has been awarded the 2013 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

BANGKOK, THAILAND: The 65th World Newspaper Congress, 20th World Editors Forum and 23rd World Advertising Forum opened in Bangkok on Monday with praise for media liberalisation occurring in Myanmar and a call for greater press freedom in Thailand.

PARIS, FRANCE / DARMSTADT, GERMANY: Love it or hate it, there is no doubt the Huffington Post has become an international force in the media world. Arianna Huffington merits the cover interview in the latest issue of World News Publishing Focus, which also includes a preview of the upcoming World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and World Advertising Forum in Bangkok.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: The soft drinks market is fiercely competitive in Thailand. Coke was a stagnant number two at 24%, well behind Pepsi, which was at 40%. In addition, a newcomer "Big Cola" has managed to grab 10% in just 5 years, growing faster than Coke. Coke was not even on top of mind amongst core target drinkers and consumer relevancy was on the wane.

NEW YORK, US: The Midas Awards, for the World's Best Financial Advertising, announced the award winners for the 2012 competition. This year's Midas Grand Jury awarded one Grand Midas, 26 Gold Ingots, 46 Silver Ingots, and 63 Finalists. The 2012 Midas Awards competition received entries from 28 countries and is reputed to be the only international competition that recognises excellence in financial services communications on a global scale.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), today invited the world's press to attend the 65th World Newspaper Congress, 20th World Editors Forum and 23rd World Newspaper Advertising Forum, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2 to 5 June 2013.

NEW YORK, US: Purchases of environmentally protective products have grown significantly in two of the world's leading markets - China and Brazil; but the widespread perception that these products are too expensive may be blocking deeper adoption.

CANNES, FRANCE: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place from 17-23 June, has announced the members of a further four juries: Creative Effectiveness, Design, Film, and PR Lions. South Africa is represented on the Design jury (Shelley-Ann Atkinson, Grid Worldwide Branding & Design) and on the Film jury (Catherine Ireland, Amplified).

KIEV, UKRAINE / PARIS, FRANCE / DARMSTADT, GERMANY: The speaker line-up for the 64th World Newspaper Congress and 19th World Editors Forum could hardly be more international, with speakers from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and South America on the podium when the global summit meetings of the world's press is held in Kiev, Ukraine, next September. Among the speakers is Trevor Ncube, deputy executive chairman, Mail & Guardian, South Africa.

NEW YORK, US: Global consumer confidence increased one index point last quarter to 89, while Europe led confidence declines in 24 of the region's 27 measured markets, according to fourth quarter 2011 global consumer confidence findings from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY: The fifth Intercontinental Advertising CUP will be held 26 -27 January 2012, in Istanbul, Turkey. The winners from first Asia-Pacific advertising festival ADFEST, Ibero American advertising festival FIAP, Art Directors Club of Europe ADC*E and New European Golden Drum will - as best of the best from four continents - compete for 39 beautiful steel cup trophies.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Effective Measure, a leading provider of digital media planning solutions in emerging markets, today reported that 77% of South East Asia's gaming audience is adults aged between 21 to 60 years old - highlighting the growing popularity of casual gaming as a significant adult pastime.

NEW YORK, US: More than 25 of advertising's most influential and respected professionals - including Ross Chowles, of Jupiter Drawing Room, Cape Town - have been selected to judge the One Show, claimed to be the premier international awards competition.

NEW YORK, US: Global online consumer confidence fell for the seventh consecutive quarter as confidence in 31 of 56 global markets measured declined, according to from Nielsen, a leading global provider of insights and analytics into what consumers watch and buy.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Effective Measure, a leading provider of digital media planning solutions in emerging markets, has reported that over 115 million web pages are viewed on mobile devices in the month of September 2011 in Malaysia - attributing to a 6% increase in mobile page views from the start of the year.

BANGKOK, THAILAND: LG's new range of SolarDom ovens represented a new development in the humble microwave oven. Using a system known as lightwave technology, the SolarDom range claimed to offer faster cooking times and better result. To promote the release, LG needed an eye-catching ambient installation that would create customer curiosity, and drive footfall to LG products within stores.

NEW YORK, US: Global advertising rose 8.8% year-on-year in Q1 to total US$118 billion* based on published rate cards, as advertisers spent more on television and continued to invest in booming consumer Asian and Latin American markets.